Graduate Courses Fall 2014

History of American Foreign Relations (B0413)

A research seminar American
foreign policy during the 20th century (1890s to present), where the goal will be to use
primary historical sources to produce a 20-25 page research paper. Among the topics students can choose to conduct research will be: U.S. involvement in major international conflicts (the War of
1898, World Wars I & II, the Cold War, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars);
the shifting equilibrium between isolationism and interventionism; the impact
of foreign policy of nuclear weapons; domestic politics, and culture; and
historiographical debated and controversies concerning U.S. policy and the Cold
War, including the impact of new evidence that has emerged from formerly closed
American, Russian, Chinese and other archives.

TH: 4:50-6:50 p.m. Craig Daigle NAC 5/142

20th Century Europe (B0304)

Political, social,
economic, and intellectual developments in Europe, the coming of the First
World War, the War and Peace, the Russian revolution, Italian Fascism, the
Weimar Republic and Nazism, the Democracies between the wars, the diplomacy of
appeasement, the Second World War, the Cold War, and the emergence of East and
West Europe as vital forces in the world today.

M: 7:00-9:00 p.m. James Lewis NAC 5/142

Middle East 1750-1959 (B0613)

This course introduces
students to major developments in the history and historiography of the Middle
East, from the late Ottoman and Qajar period to the emergence of independent
nation-states in the 20th century. It covers reformist attempts to
meet the European challenge; the age of colonialism and the impact of the
region's integration into the world economy; class formation and the expansion
of the public sphere; the evolution of citizenship; social and gender history;
the rise of nationalism, sectarianism, and political Islam; and the origins of
the Arab-Israeli conflict. Special attention will be paid to the meaning of
"modernity" and the changing relationship between religion and politics.

M: 4:50-6:50 p.m. Lale Can NAC 5/142

American Religious History (B0618)

This course explores
religions practiced by people of European, African, and Native American descent
in the United States from the colonial era to the 20th century.
Through extensive readings, lectures, and class discussion, students will learn
about various religious beliefs and practices as well as how religions change
in America over time. The class will also critically analyze how historians
approach the study of religions.

W: 7:00-9:00 p.m. Richard Boles NAC 5/142

Japanese Empire (B2609)

Japan was a late
imperialist power, but in 1945 came to occupy extensive territories of her
Asian neighbors. This course will examine the history of that empire with
emphasis on new cultural approaches, interpretations of the nature of Japanese
colonialism, the experiences of subject peoples, the wartime story of conquest
(1937-45), and issues regarding the end of empire that plague Japan's
relationships with nations across Asia today.

Soviet History (B5504)

A survey and analysis of the Soviet Union from its establishment in 1917 amid World War and revolution to its collapse in 1991. Starting with the essentials of Marxist ideology and a brief overview of the Russian Empire, the course examines the causes of the Russian Revolution; state-building in the Socialist polity; social engineering through forced collectivation; industrialization; cultural transformation; terror in concept and practice; and the emergence of the Soviet superpower role during the Cold War, and the decline and collapse of the Soviet empire.